Strangers
by Hitokun
Summary: You could know someone for a lifetime, but not see who they are. There are so many reasons to turn a blind eye, to live in a world of denial, to keep from being disillusioned. Tsukamoto Shuuichi is stuck in this world. He thinks he knows Kumiko best, a woman who was his childhood friend and his first love. However, life has a cruel way of forcing people to face reality. -time skip-


**A/N:** Finally decided to upload this. It's a bit of a weird story, but it kinda got stuck in my head. I may or may not continue this, but I guess it's here if I ever decide to do so. It's a story with random time jumps, just snippets here and there.

Feel free to let me know what you think of this!

* * *

 **Part 1**

* * *

"Did you know her well?"

Shuuichi swirled the half-empty gin and tonic in his hand, looking over at the new voice that addressed him. He shoved his free hand into his pants pocket, kicking his dress shoes idly against the ground as he pondered an appropriate response.

Memories and emotions flitted past his eyes in naught but a nanosecond. He had a reply.

"No, not really."

* * *

 _-15 years ago –_

The oil sizzled as Shuuichi cracked the egg on the side of the pan, spilling its contents on the hot surface. Soon enough, the entire kitchen was filled with the smell of sunny-side up eggs, pan-fried sausages, and freshly made toast.

The blonde man hummed in satisfaction as he got the food to the golden-brown perfection he had been trying to achieve this entire week. After all, today was a special day. It was Kumiko's birthday and he wanted to do something special for her.

Suddenly, a loud yawn erupted from behind him and Shuuichi turned to find a sleepy looking Kumiko staring right at him. She leaned against the doorway, stifling another yawn as she reached a hand underneath her oversized T-shirt, scratching idly at her stomach. Trying to blink the sleep out of her eyes, she shuffled into the kitchen coming up to the tall man still slaving over the stove.

"Morning. You're up early."

Shuuichi chuckled as he reached out a hand to ruffle Kumiko's messy brown locks. They were already sticking up at odd ends, even worse than the girl's usual bedhead.

Pausing as he kept his hand on Kumiko's head, Shuuichi smiled while he looked down at the brunette.

"Happy 25th birthday, Kumiko."

Kumiko opened her eyes a little wider, a sudden hardness glazing over her soft amber eyes as she stared into Shuuichi's face. His expression was gentle, and full of nothing but admiration and…

 _Love_.

Swallowing the guilt that suddenly lodged in her throat, Kumiko managed a weak smile.

"Thanks."

With that, she turned away, heading off to the bathroom to freshen up.

Shuuichi stared after her, no inkling of the cold bristle that just worked its way through Kumiko.

"Hurry up in there. Your breakfast is gonna' get cold!"

Kumiko again tried to steel herself, the guilt making her stomach turn. She let out a non-committal sound of agreement as she shut the bathroom door behind her. She had repeated the words that were dangling on the tip of her tongue over and over again in her mind. No matter how much she willed herself to say them, she was tight-lipped, something she had practiced over the years, the months, the days where a loose tongue would cost her.

If only she could bring herself to start the conversation. How hard was it to just say _, 'Shuuichi, we need to talk.'_

As Kumiko slumped against the bathroom door, she buried her face in her hands, a humorless chuckle escaping her lips. Apparently, it only got harder and harder as the days went by.

Kumiko pushed the hot breakfast around on her plate, her appetite leaving her. Shuuichi was talking, telling her about all the things he had planned for them this weekend, but…Kumiko could only feel the guilt eat away at her.

"Is it that awful?"

"What?" Kumiko looked up, blinking in confusion as she saw the sheepish expression on the blonde's face.

"Breakfast. I practiced a ton this week, but I'm not as good at cooking as you are." A crinkle of his eyes as he spoke, a sheepish arch of his neck as he touched his hand to the back of his head.

Kumiko stared into Shuuichi's eyes, feeling the knot in the pit of her stomach get tighter and tighter. She again forced a smile. "No, it's not that…thank you for breakfast." She shoveled a forkful of egg into her mouth. It was a tad too greasy and over-seasoned, but…

"It's good." Kumiko smiled, more genuine this time as she saw the young man's face light up.

"You're being too nice, Kumiko. Wish I could take you out for a real meal tonight." Shuuichi chuckled as he finished the rest of his breakfast.

Kumiko laughed half-heartedly. She chewed off a piece of burnt toast as she contemplated her lie. With her mouth full, it made things easier. "I can't. You know how my family is with birthdays."

"Yeah, yeah…it's not my first rodeo…" Shuuichi trailed off, but took a breath before he continued.

"Say…we have been dating for a while now…"

His voice was shaky, his anxiety skyrocketing.

Kumiko looked down, afraid of what he was going to ask.

"Don't you think it's time that I met your family officially as your boyfriend? It's been almost 5 years now and it's not like they don't know me…I did live in your building up until university."

Kumiko put her fork down. She looked at Shuuichi, feeling uncomfortable. "Haha…but you know how they are. My dad would probably rip you a new one and my sister…" A little smirk tugged at Kumiko's lips. "She'd probably castrate you."

Shuuichi made a face at the mental image, squeezing his legs together as he felt the hypothetical pain.

"And I've got plans all day with my sister today. Spa date." Kumiko smiled weakly.

"Really? The spa? You hate the spa." Shuuichi scoffed, raising an eyebrow. He found it hard to believe that the same girl who valued her personal space above most things would opt to spend her birthday letting complete strangers preen her.

"I do hate the spa, but unfortunately, I love my sister." Kumiko smirked.

Shuuichi laughed, standing to clear the table. "I know you do, Kumiko." He took her half-eaten plate from her, knowing when his girlfriend was being too polite for her own good.

Kumiko let out a small of relief, but it was short lived as something caught her eye. The notification light was flashing on her phone and it took every ounce of her willpower to stop from checking her messages.

She was expecting something.

"Are you gonna be gone the whole day? Maybe we could catch a movie before I drop you off at your parents'." Shuuichi dumped the dishes in the sink, turned away from Kumiko.

"Oh, I think I actually have to get going. I'm supposed to meet up with my sister soon." Kumiko gave into temptation, snatching up her cellphone. She checked her messages with Shuuichi's back turned to her. Her eyes flickered as she skimmed the new text. "…I probably won't be back tonight, so don't wait up."

Shuuichi turned suddenly, startling Kumiko with the action. Kumiko tried to act normally, tried not to act like she just got caught with her hand in the cookie jar.

But it was hard. She was holding her phone, still undecided on whether or not she wanted to hide it.

"Kumiko?"

"It's nothing. I'm just gonna…go get ready." Kumiko all but ran away from the table and from Shuuichi's impending questions. She wasn't ready for an interrogation. Not today.

Lying wasn't her forte after all.

The hours ticked by and the apartment was still deathly quiet. Shuuichi tried to focus on the reports he took home, but he could hear the clock in his kitchen and the voices in his head. The whole day had gone on like this, productivity wasted as evening rolled by.

Putting down his pen, the young man let out a long drawn sigh. He checked his messages for the fifth time that hour. There was nothing.

With his hand on the table, Shuuichi drummed his fingers impatiently against the wood. He stared at the screen of his cellphone. He felt pathetic, like he didn't have a life outside of Kumiko. Honestly, he didn't, but it wasn't something he liked to dwell on too much. He felt content, lucky, and thankful for every day he had with the former euphonium player.

There were days where he wondered if Kumiko was just settling for him because he was convenient, but after a few years, he didn't care. He figured that as long as she was his, it didn't matter why she stayed. The most important thing…

 _Was that she stayed._

Shuuichi jumped as his cellphone suddenly buzzed in his hand. He nearly dropped it, but managed to keep it intact as he juggled the ringing phone. He didn't even check the caller ID as he answered the call.

"H-Hello?"

" _Shuuichi! It's Mamiko."_

"O-Oh, Mamiko-san. How are you?"

" _Great. I'm great. Just wondering if my sister is around."_

"Kumiko?"

"Uh…yes, Kumiko. My sister…the girl you've been dating for god knows how long?"

"Yes…sorry. I just didn't expect you to call me." Shuuichi suddenly had a bad feeling, a heaviness settling in his chest. His thoughts were going a mile a minute, instinctively churning out reasons why Mamiko would be calling him.

There was a laugh on the other line.

" _It's not like my mom and dad don't know about you and Kumiko. I really don't know why she hasn't brought you around for a proper dinner yet. You're practically living together already, so I don't get-"_ Mamiko trailed off, wondering if she hit a sore spot. " _Well, never mind that…Could you put my sister on the line? I just wanted to wish her a happy birthday."_

Shuuichi was confused. Didn't Kumiko say…

"You didn't see Kumiko today?"

" _No. We had plans to go to the spa, but she cancelled last minute. She said she's been busy all week."_

Something didn't sit well with Shuuichi and he suddenly had so many more questions that made him feel like a petty person. He pushed it aside for a moment, coming up with excuses for the woman he loved. However, the rationalizing was short lived as his baser instincts took over, the jealousy and the insinuations taking over.

"Mamiko-san…this might be a strange question, but how does Kumiko usually spend her birthdays?"

There was a pause, as if Mamiko were thinking, trying to decipher what this question meant.

"… _with you, right?"_

Those three words ignited a sinking feeling in Shuuichi and that was the exact moment his illusion of happiness came undone.


End file.
